Knitting machine



I Oct. 17, 1961 M. H. FELKER 3,

KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. URICE H. FELKER a I i ATTORNEYS Oct. 17, 1961 FIG. 2.

Filed May 4. 1960 M. H. FELKER KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I I ,uvymron MAURICE H. FELKER BY 3 FIG. '8; 5/,

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ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1961 M. H. FELKER 3,004,413

KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV EN TOR.

ATTORN EY MAURICE H. FELKER 1961 H. FELKER 3,004,

KNITTING MACHINE Filed iviay 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4.

i i i 6o 94- 93M i -92 I 32 INVENTOR. MAURICE H. FELKER BY I I I FIG. 5. FIG. 6. FIG. 7 AW/G Mu W4 ATTOR N EYS United States This invention relates to knitting machines and particularly to pattern control devices for use in circular knitting machines of large diameter having a large number of feeds. 7

Circular knitting machines for production of jersey or balbriggan fabrics are generally of large diameter and the demand has been for machines having as many feeds as possible in order to increase the rate of production of fabric. At the present time machines are available having the feeds so closely spaced that each is allotted no more than one and one-quarter inches of the needle cylinders circumference. For desirable styling of garments it is required that the fabric produced should have rather elaborate patterns which are generally produced by selecting needles to welt, tuck or clear, and the popular method of needle selection has been by the well-known progressive needle lifting wheels. While these wheels are satisfactory in operation, they require considerable circumferential space, and consequently their use has limited the number of feeds for practical diameters of the machines at the expense of maximum production. In accordance with the present invention the problems presented by the foregoing have been solved by the use of pattern mechanism of novel design which permits a number of-feeds corresponding to those which could be involved in a plain fabric machine of similar diameter. The pattern mechanism, furthermore, stores a plurality of patterns in such fashion that the pattern being produced may be very quickly changed as desired, in contrast with the matter of changing pattern wheels which may take hours. In fact, from the practical standpoint a knitting mill may well have set up in the pattern mechanism at-the beginning of a manufacturing season all of the designs which a particular machine may be expected to produce during that season.

The foregoinggenerally indicated objects of the invention as well as others relating to details of construction and operation will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is aradialvertical section taken through elements associated with a single feed of a multiple feed circular knitting machine of the rotary cylinder type;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section taken on the plane indicated at 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3' is an interior development particularly illustrating certain cams operating on needles and associated elements;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional View similar to part of FIGURE 1 but showing jack'elements in a different selected condition;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation showing in conjunction with each other a jack element and a presser element adapted I to be associated with a single needle;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are, respectively, elevations of pattern wheel elements used' for pattern control, the former being for production of floating and the latter for production' of tucking; and

FIGURES is a diagrammatic illustration of a typical fabric which may be produced by a' machine provided with pattern mechanism in accordance with the invention.

Referring, first, particularly to FIGURES 1 and 3 g the knitting machine to whidh the invention is applied as" illustrated herein is 'of-the' rotary needle cylinder type,

stem 0 3,004,413 Patented on. 1?, i961 ing. As will become evident, however, the basic action involved is that of control of elements associated with needles, and, as well known in the art, control of such elements may effect not only operations such as these de scribed but also selective wrapping, plating and floating, production of designs in pile fabrics, or the like. It will, accordingly, be understood that the invention is not limited to selective tucking and floating in conjunction with the formation of plain stitches.

Preliminarily, it may also be assumed that the knitting machine is of a multiple feed type in which, for a given cylinder diameter, the number of feeds is a maximum, corresponding, for example, to the number which might be used in the formation of plain fabric without patternmg. 7

The rotary cylinder of the machine is indicated at 2, and is provided with slots indicated at 4 desirably formed between inserted walls fixed in slots in the cylinder. Conventional latch needles 6 are independently movable in the slots 4 and cooperate with conventional sinkers 8 in usual fashion. Individual stitch formations are carried out conventionally so far as yarn handling is involved and these need not be described in detail. The needle butts 10 are moved downwardly by stitch cams 12 (FIG- URE 3) the rotation of the needle cylinder relative to the cams being clockwise in the machine illustrated. it will be noted that the stitch cams, as shown in FIGURE 3, are steep as is necessary to secure the maximum number of feeds in a given circumference. Each of the stitch cams is associated with a yarn feed ofconventional type and which is, therefore, not illustrated.

Below the butt of each needle there is provided in each slot a flexible and slidable jack the nature of which will be particularly clear from consideration of FIG- URES l and 5. Each jack, designated 1-4, is provided with a head portion 16 providing a rounded shoulder at 18 cooperating with a spring band 20 received in a circumferential slot in the cylinder walls to limit downward movement of the jacks while not impeding their upward movements occurring as described hereafter. The lowermost position of each jack is attained when it is pushed downwardly by its corresponding needle to the lowermost position of the latter achieved under the lowermost point of a stitch cam; The upperportion of each jack has a straight inner edge 22 which has a sliding relation to the bottom of the slot 4 in which it is received. A continuous series of overlapping fixed cams 24 provides only a sliding clearance for the upper portion of each jack to prevent its upper end from tilting outwardly as would otherwise occur during operation as set forth below. The overlapping of the cams 24 is merely to permit their removability, the assembly, when the machine is operating, providing an essentially continuous ringprojecting into what is effectively a slot in the inserted cylinder walls. The outer edge 23 of each jack is parallel to its edge 22.

At 26each jack is provided with a fulcrum below which its inner edge 23' diverges outwardly from the bottom of its receiving slot, the radial thickness below the fulcrum between its inner edge 28 and its outer edge 3i being 3. normally tend to flex outwardly to the condition illustrated in FIGURE 5.

Jack raising cams are provided, one for each feed, as illustrated in FIGURE 3 wherein these raising earns 36 are shown in their proper circumferential relationship to the stitch cams 12. Each of the raising cams is provided with an approach portion 38, a notch 40, and a raising edge 42. The raising edge 42 provides upward movements of jacks and their associated needles to effect tucking or clearing as described hereafter. The edges of these cams which engage the jack shoulders are upwardly and inwardly beveled to insure maintenance of the jack shoulders in engagement with the cams.

As also illustrated in FIGURES l and 5, each jack has associated with it in its slot a presser 44. Each of these pressers is provided near its upper end with a notch 46 arranged to receive a spring band 48 located in a notch extending around the cylinder in the inserted walls. The spring band 48 maintains the pressers at fixed level.

Each presser is provided along its outer edge with butts 50 which may be selectively broken away, usually in such fashion that each presser retains only a single butt. The array of these single butts, considered in sequence about the cylinder will generally be in the form of sloping lines of butts all extending in the same direction or in successsive V arrangements to insure that a pattern is only repeated circumferentially at intervals corresponding to the number of butt levels or twice that number less one. For most patterns such butt arrangements will be used, though it will be evident that for other patterns such arrangernents may be varied.

The outer edge of the presser is provided with a portion 52 below which is a socket 54 arranged to receive the spring band 56 located in circumferentially aligned notches in the inserted walls to maintain control of the presser. A fixed ring of cams 58 engages the presser portions 52 to maintain radial alignment thereof, the cams being overlapped to provide a continuous series. The cams 58 are located radially so that the lower ends of the jacks are always flexed inwardly as compared with the free position illustrated in FIGURE 5.

The inner edge 60 of each presser conforms to the straight outer edge 30 of its jack 14, there being contact throughout the height of the presser.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is associated with each feed a bracket assembly 62 adjustably mounted with respect to the machine frame. The cams 36 and 58 previously referred to are mounted on this bracket assembly. A portion 64 of the bracket assembly provides horizontal guide ways for individual slides 66 which correspond in number to the butt levels of the pressers 44 and are provided at their outer ends with follower points 68 and at their inner ends with cam extensions 70, each of which is connected to a tension spring 71 arranged to urge the slide 66 outwardly. Each cam extension is provided with a sloping portion 72 for smooth engagement with corresponding butts of the pressers. 1

A fixed shaft 74 carried by each bracket assembly 62 provides a mounting for a trick wheel 76 the base 78 of which is provided with sockets 89 arranged to be selectively engaged by the tapered nose of a plunger 82 mounted in a portion 84 of the bracket assembly and urged inwardly by a spring 86, the plunger being provided with a knob 88 whereby it may be disengaged from a socket. The axis of the plunger 82 being fixed, it serves as an indexing and latching means for the setting of the trick wheel 76 in selectively desired circumferential positions which, for convenience of predetermined setting are desirably marked by numerals as indicated on the trick wheel base 78.

Corresponding to each of the sockets 80 there is a vertical slot 89 in the trick wheel 76, each slot being arranged to receive a pair of pattern elements as will now be described.

One of the pattern elements arranged in each slot 89 is of the type illustrated at 90 in FIGURE 6. The other type of pattern element provided in slot 89 is of the type illustrated at 92 in FIGURE 7. Both of these pattern elements are provided with notches, 94 and 96 respectively, for the reception of a spring band 98 extending into a circumferential slot in the upper portion of the trick wheel 76. V

The pattern elements 9% are provided with butts 100 which may be selectively broken away in accordance with the pattern to be produced. Similarly, the pattern elements 92 are provided with butts 192 which are adapted to be selectively broken away for pattern control.

The levels of the butts 100 and 102, of the butts 50 of the pressers and of the slides 66 correspond in order to provide for the needle selecting actions.

With the presser butts 50 in some predetermined arrangement, such as a'regular and repetitive arrangement as already indicated, or some other arrangement if patterned stripes are desired, the pattern elements in each slot of the trick wheel 76 are provided, by proper removal of butts, to establish a single knitted pattern, it being understood that during the production of a particular product the trickwheel is immovable, being set in the desired position by the latching. operation of the plunger 82. The particular selected position and operation of each jack at each feed is thus set. What results from the selective positions of the jacks is as follows:

If the flexible portion of a jack is not pressed inwardly, due to one of the obvious combinations of butts or absences of butts, after the jack in question reaches its lowermost position by reason of the lowering of its needle by a stitch cam 12, its shoulder 34 will extend fully outwardly, to the extent permitted by the ring of cams 58, at the location of the notch 40 of the corresponding raising cam 36, and consequently the jack will be raised to raise its needle to clearing position as the shoulder 34 is lifted by the cam rise 42. Clearing of the previously drawn loop thus takes place to provide for the formation of a plain stitch. In this rise the upper portion of a jack slides axially with its inner edge sliding along the bottom of its slot 4, its outer edge sliding past the spring band 20 and cam 24, the latter, particularly, preventing tilting.

On the other hand, if the lower end of a jack, by reason of the action of a butt 102 of its corresponding pattern element 92, is moved only part way inwardly, no butt 100 being active, the shoulder 34 will miss the corresponding cam 36 but the shoulder 32 will engage the slope 42 of the cam so that while the jack and the needle are raised, as before, the rise will be only to a tuck level, the needle being uncleared, but at a level to take yarn. Thus the operation proceeds to provide tucking.

The third alternative is that of full inward movement imparted to the lower end of ajack throughthe action of a butt 100 of a pattern element 90. Under these circumstances both shoulders 34 and 32' miss the raising edge 42 of the cam 36 and the jack and the needle pass the position of the fed yarn so low that the yarn is not engaged by the needle and no clearing occurs. A float is thus produced, the previous stitch being held. The three positions which may be imparted to a slide 66 are illustrated in FIGURE 2 at 68a, 68b and 680. Of course, unless the slide 66 at the time of the event in question corresponds to the level of a present butt 50 no deflection will be imparted to the jack.

To secure proper operation the butt-carrying elements, i.e. pressers 44 and the pattern elements 90 and 92 have special arrangements of their butts which, as already indicated, are selectively broken away for pattern formation. Consistent with. the uniform lengths of all of the slides 66, the following is involved:

When the jacks are not acted upon and have their lower ends in their normal outermost positions as defined by the ring of cams at 58 acting on the portions 52 or" the pressers 44, the inner ends of the butts 50 are in vertical alignment, i.e., the bottoms of the slots between the butts are in vertical alignment. This means that all of the slides 66 which are in innermost position will clear the pressers which do not have butts 50 present at their levels.

The second condition desired is that when any presser is pushed inwardly through the action of a butt 1th] on a pattern element 90, thereby to push the lower end of its jack fully inwardly, the butts 50 would be so positioned that, if all were present, they would be in vertical alignment with respect to their outer ends. As will be evident, the two last requirements impose the condition that the lengths of butts 50 should vary from top to bottom, with the shortest butts at the top and the longest at the bottom. The angle which is attended by lines through the outer ends of the butts and their inner ends is then equal to the angle of flexure of the lower ends of the jacks from the outer position, determined by the ring of earns 58 to the inner position corresponding to the missing of the raising cams by the shoulder 32.

To secure uniformity of position of the lower ends of the jacks in their intermediate flexed position, providing tucking, the butts 102 of the pattern elements 92 must. also vary in length, the shortest butts being at the bottom and the longest butts at the top. The angle defined by the tapering lengths then corresponds to the amount of flexure from the outer-most position, defined by the ring of cams 5-8, to that corresponding to tucking.

It may be noted that straight lines of butt alignments are involved because, due to the extended contact 30, 60 between each presser 44 and the lower end of its jack the fiexure is substantially about a point close to the point 26 of each jack, i.e., the lower end of a jack is not bent in a curve, but effectively about a pivot point, being substantially straight below that pivot point. All of'the foregoing matters insure that quite precise placement of the lower ends of the jacks occurs in its various alternative positions so asv to insure against faulty action which would destroy the desired pattern, i.e. tucks will not be produced where floats are desired, and vice versa.

FIGURE 8- shows atypical type of pattern which may be thus produced, involving tucks such as indicated at T, floats as indicated at F, and plain stitches as otherwise indicated. The successive courses here shown would, of course, be produced at consecutive feeds.

It will be evident that, in accordance with the invention, an entirely new fabric may be produced by shifting all of' the trick wheels to corresponding new positions. It will also be evident that, if desired, while one pattern is being produced by a set of pattern Wheelelements in active (inner) positions, substitutions of pattern wheel elements in other positions may be made without stopping the-machine, thereby to set up the machine for one or more new patterns.

FIGURES 2 and 3 will make particularly evident the fact that the elements for each feed occupy no more circumferential extent than the feed itself even when the latter occupies a minimum circumferential extent as limited by the maximum slopes that may be safely provided for the stitchcams and the raising cams, the latter condition depending upon the possibilityof free movements of the axially sliding elements under the cam actions-without danger of breakage.

As stated heretofore, it is evident that the longitudinal movements imparted to a jack such as that illustrated might be utilized for other control purposes with or without actions of the jacks on needles. In the case of actions on needles, they may be selectively raised to receive wrap yarns; by actions on sinkers or pressers or other instrumentalities there may be produced varying lengths of pile loops, reverse plating actions, or the like. The invention, accordingly, is of quite general applicability,

6 t and is not to be regarded as limited except as required by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rnultifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a member selectively'movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said member in any one of such adjusted positions, pattern elements carried by said member to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said member to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by said active pattern'elements.

2.. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a member selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said member in any one of such adjusted positions, pattern ele-- ments carried in pairs by said member to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said member to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by pairs of said activepattern elements.

3. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying'relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a slotted drum selectively movable toa plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said drum in any one of said adjusted positions, pattern elements carried inslots in said drum to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said drum todllferent latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by said active pattern elements.

4. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements co-' operating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a slotted drum selectively movable to-a plurality ofadjusted positions, means latching said drum in any one of said adjusted positions, pattern elements carried-in pairs in slots in said drum to'be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said drum to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the-needles to be variably controlled by pairs of said active pattern elements.

5. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements cooperating With the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of'said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a'member selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said member in any one of'such adjusted positions, pattern elements carried in pairs by said member to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said member to dilferent latched positions, and elements individ ually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by pairs of said active pattern elements, one of the pattern elements of each pair being arranged to effect positioning of the last mentioned elements in one position,

and the other of the pattern elements of each pair being arranged to eflect positioning of the last mentioned elements in another position.

6. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a slotted drum selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said drum in any one of said adjusted positions, pattern elements carried in pairs in slots in said drum to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said drum to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by pairs of said active pattern elements, one of the pattern elements ofeach pair being arranged to effect positioning of the last mentioned elements in one position, and the other of the pattern elements of each pair being arranged to effect positioning of the last mentioned elements in another position.

7. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements, including cams, cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a member selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said member in any one of such adjusted positions, pattern elements carried by said meniher to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said member to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by said active pattern elements, each of the last mentioned elements being a jack mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the needle carrier and having a flexible portion arranged to be selectively flexed by said pattern elements, said flexible portion being provided with cam followers selectively engageable with said cams.

8. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements, including cams, cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a member selectively movable to a plurality 'of adjusted positions, means latching said member in any one of such adjusted positions, pattern elements carried in pairs by said member to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said member to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by pairs of said active pattern elements, each of the last mentioned elements being a jack mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the needle carrier and having a flexible portion arranged to be selectively flexed by said pattern elements, said flexible portion being provided with cam followers selectively engageable with said cams.

' 9. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements, including cams, cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a slotted drum selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said drum in any one of said adjusted positions, pattern elements carried in slots in said drum to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said drum to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by said active pattern elements, each of the last mentioned elements being a jack mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the needle carrier and having a flexible portion arranged to be selectively flexed by said pattern elements, said flexible portion being provided with cam followers selectively cngageable with said cams.

10. In a multife'ed circular knitting machine, a carrier mounting independently movable needles, elements, including cams, cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern controlling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising, associated with each of a plurality of feeds, a slotted drum selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said drum in any one of said adjusted positions, pattern elements carried in pairs in slots in said drum to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said drum to different latched positions, and elements individually associated with the needles to be variably controlled by pai-rs of said active pattern elements, each of the last mentioned elements being a jack mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the needle carrier and having a flexible portion arranged to be selectively flexed by said pattern elements, said flexible portion being provided with cam followers selectively engageable with said cams.

11. In a multifeed circular knitting machine, a carrier provided with slots mounting independently movable needles, elements, including cams, cooperating with the needles for the production of stitches, and pattern con trolling means for varying relationships of said needles and elements to produce knitted patterns, the last mentioned means comprising jacks individually associated with needles in their mounting slots, each jack being mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the needle carrier and having a flexible portion arranged to be selectively flexed, said flexible port-ion being provided with a plurality of cam followers at different heights selectively engageable with said cams in accordance with the extent of flexure of said flexible portion, and means for selecti-velyflexing said flexible portions of said jacks, the last mentioned means comprising a member selectively movable to a plurality of adjusted positions, means latching said member in any one of such adjusted positions, pattern elements carried in pairs by said member to be moved selectively to active positions by movements of said member to diflerent latched positions, and pressers associated with the flexible portions of said jacks, said pressers and at least one of each pair of pattern elements having cooperating butts arranged at selected levels, the butts varying in length in accordance with their levels to provide definite flexure of said flexible portions of the jacks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,116,358 Leedham et al May 3, 1938 

